Golf club grip



E. B. LAMKIN GOLF CLUB GRIP oct. 24, 193.9.

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Patented Oct. 24, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 10 Claims.

My invention relates to golf club grips. Its main objectives are two-fold: one is greater accuracy of the stroke and the other is an improved form of grip per se.

The average (and right-handed) golfer fails to use his left or upper hand sufficiently in relation to his use of his lower or right hand. In carrying out my objective in remedying this tendency, I give increased effectiveness to the left hand in either or both of two ways: by providing a better grip for the left hand than for the right hand, and by making the golfer more conscious of his left hand than of his right hand in the down stroke. I have found that a golf club grip which achieves the psychological function of making the golfer more conscious of his left hand than of his right hand during the down stroke and which at the same time affords a physically more secure grip for the left hand than for the right hand, is peculiarly effective in overcoming the objectionable tendency of the average golfer to over-emphasize the action of the right hand.

In so far as they are concerned with the structure of the grip, the objects of my invention include: a non-twist grip even in the presence of rain or perspiration; substantially equal and similar gripping for each finger; ease of application in manufacture; elimination for the necessity of accurateformation of the parts to secure necessary registering thereof; low additional cost of manufacture on account of including the feature; ready manufacturing control as between grips for different sizes of hands; and neat and attractive appearance.

Th-e foregoing together with further objects, features and advantages of my invention are set forth in the following description of specific embodiments thereof, which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is an elevation from the front (in impact position) of the handle portion of a golf club in which the grip of my invention is embodied;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation (from the golfers right hand side) of the club handle of Fig. l, but showing in full lines the golfers left hand and in dotted lines his right hand;

Fig. 3 and its continuation, Fig. 3A, constitute a development in plan View of the leather strip which constitutes the grip with the bead forming lace therein preparatory to wrapping upon the handle;

Fig. 4 is a similar plan View of a portion of the leather strip before the lace is incorporated therein;

(Cl. 273-.-81)r Fig. 5 is a plan View of the end of the lace before it is incorporated in the leather strip, showing the tip that facilitates the lacing;

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal diametric section through the end of the handle and grip; and 5 Fig. 7 is a fragmentary section taken on the line 'I-'I of Fig. 1, but along the medial line of the leather strip and showing a modified form of lace.

On the upper end of the shaft I 0 of a golf club shown in Fig. 1 a handle is formed which consists of the usual paper listing or filler II (Fig. 6) wrapped about the handle portion of the shaft to augment the flare of the shaft itself and to build up the diameter of the handle, and a strip of leather I2-cornmonly known as the grip-spirally wrapped around the listed handle portion and cemented thereto to form the grip.

As shown in Fig. 3 the upper end of the leather strip I2 is tapered at substantially the angle of 20 lead. The pointed end is rst applied and tacked. The initial convolution slightly overlaps the point to conceal the tack and raw edge and to provide an additional bell or flare at the upper end of the handle. The lower end of the leather strip I2 is similarly tapered and is finished by a whipping I3. An additional flared sleeve of leather I4' may be inserted at the upper end of the shaft to provide an additional flare, as shown in Fig. 6, and a wooden plug I4 closes the end 30 of the hollow shaft. The handle as thus far described may be of usual construction.

In the specic embodiment of my invention illustrated in the drawings, the first one and a half or two convolutions of the grip leather or strip I2 are left plain, then follows a series of lace perforations I5 at intervals along the medial line of the strip. The perforations I5 are preferably of triangular shape. Th-ese lace perforations continue for about three convolutions. They are flanked on either side by auxiliary perforations I6. Thereafter for about another three convolutions the eld of the strip I2 carries three rows of smaller perforations I'I. Thereafter to its lower end the strip continues plain and imperforate.

A lace I8 is laced through the medial perforations I5 before the strip is applied to the handle. The lace I8 is segment shaped in cross section and is preferably of rubber with a cotton braid I9, which may be after the fashion of a shoe lace, molded in the rubber with one side of the lace exposed along the crown of the segment. One reason the lace is of composite rubber and braid construction is that the rubber permits of the a standard shoe lace of suitable size, braiding n and quality. One of the tipped ends of the lace is cut off to leave the length of the required lace, plus two or three inches at the other tip and extending beyond the rubber, as shown in Fig. 5. The tip 20 and the highly flexible portion 2I ofthe braid I9 between the tip andthe end of the rubber 22 greatly facilitates the lacing of the lace I8 through and along the medial perforations I5. After the lacing has been completed, the protruding portion 2| of the braid is cut off 'at the end of the rubber. Both ends of the lace I8 are left on the underside of the leather stripy I2 and extend beyond the lace perforation a sufficient extent to prevent the ends of the lace being pulled out in the course of subsequent use.

After the lace I8 has been laced into the leather grip stripwhich is a simple and speedy operation-the strip is applied in the usual manner. The adhesive by which the leather strip is secured to the listed shaft also serves to cement the ends of the braid and the intermediate portions of the braid which lie beneath the leather strip, thereby further avoiding danger of the lace pulling out.

In Fig. 2 I show in full lines the left hand of a right-handed golfer as he would ordinarily hold the club. In suchra position the fingers tend to describe a right-hand thread. The leather strip or grip I2 is wrapped to describe a left-hand thread. The bead 23 resulting from the lace I3 is also a left-hand thread. The bead is traversed by the ngers at more or less of a right angle. The width of the leather strip I2 is' about the same as the normal spacing of the fingers as they grasp the club and in this way the spiral bead formed by the lace I8 traverses each finger at substantially the same relative position. The hand can be adjusted longitudinally of the shaft a fraction of an inch to bring this point of traverse of each linger at the most effective place in reference to the fingers. In Fig. 2 this is illustrated as the terminal phalanx of each finger. In the form shown there are three convolutions of the lace and hence preferably only the ,iirst three fingers are engaged with thebead; the little linger may find purchase against the belled end of the handle.

Preferably, and as indicated in Fig. 2, the lead of the leather strip I2-the distance between its bead comes quite exactly at the corresponding point on each finger, here shown as opposite the base of the nail where the finger can exert the most effective pressure against the bead.

'Ihe auxiliary gripping offered to the left hand bythe bead formed by the lace serves further to resist two kinds of movement of the handle in the end. It resists an axial movement of the handle through the hand, and this is made effective by the transverse component of the Vdirection of the bead. If the bead extended longitudinally of the handle, the resistance to this movement would not be so effective. The bead also eectively checks rotation of the handle in the hand because of the longitudinal component of the direction of the bead. If the bead extended only as rings at right angles to the axis of the handle, checking of rotation would not be so effective. Thus the peculiar eiectiveness of the gripping bead I provide lies partly in its oblique direction, whereby it provides both longitudinal and transverse components, and in its transverse arrangement in reference tothe spiral-like disliposition of the fingers whereby the ngers cross the bead at more or less right angles thereto. If the bead formed a right-hand thread and were engaged by the left-hand, the ngers would be more or less parallel with the bead and act something as a nut to permit a more ready rotation of the club in the hand, as Well as an axial movement of the club.

The generously exposed cotton braid in the 'lace offers a non-skid gripping surface in the presence of moisture from rain, mist or perspiration,

which augments the physical bead in giving ar secure grip for the left hand. The auxiliary perforationsl in the region of the lace provide additional non-twist surface for the left hand.

Although I contemplate that the lace may be extended through the portion of the grip engaged by the right hand, I prefer, as shown in the drawings, that the lace does not extend beyond the region of the left hand. The smaller perforations' I'I afford a somewhat better grip for the left hand than would the plain leather strip. Yet the unbeadedregion for the right hand presents a distinctly inferior non-twist grip as compared with that for the left hand. As a result the player is made more conscious' of his left hand and will tend to use it more than his right hand in the down stroke. Also, his left hand is given the physical means-the non-twist lace bead-for making his left hand more effective than his right. In this way I achieve one of the primary objects of my invention: the player is made to favor his left hand over his right hand in the down stroke. This remedies the common failing in overemphasizing the right hand.

Thus far I have described and discussed the grip of my invention with reference to a club for use by a right hand player. It will be understood that in a left-hand club, the leather strip I2 carrying the lace will be wrapped on to the handle to describe a right-hand thread, so that when the left hand golfer places his right hand at the upper position and his left hand at the lower position on the handle, the same relationships and advantages will obtain as that previously described for right hand clubs.

In clubs for women and younger players whereV the ngers' normally will come closer together, I contemplate that the leather strip I2 may be somewhat narrower so that the convolutions of the bead come closer together and thereby the relationship of' the bead to the nger may more accurately be preserved at its optimum.

In Fig. '7 I have shown a modified form of lace I8', It is of cross section similar to the previously described lace I8. In the form of Fig. '7, a large number of cotton threads'are distributed throughout the rubber, so that some are exposed over the entire top surface thereof. The crown and occurring at such intervals that when the lace is laced into the perforations I5 of the leather v n strip I2, the notches are occupied by the portions r and the shaft or listing.

of the leather strip which overlie the lace. In this Ymanner those overlying portions of the leather are not excessively beaded. The result is that the exposed crowns of the lace protrude relatively higher than those portions of the leather which overliey the lace. The non-twist surface of the bead ismore effectively presented to the hand.

It is to be noted that the leather grip which the handsengage in no sense floats on the shaft. Some non-twist grip assemblies have employed a layer of rubber between the leather grip strip This permits slight turning of the leather grip in reference to the shaft. In my handle, the leather is cemented tightly and directly to the paper listing, which in turn is fixed on the shaft. There is no rubber or similar elastic layer intervening which will permit this objectionable floating action.

While I have illustrated and described these f specific embodiments of my invention, I contemplate that many ohanges may be made thereover without departing from the scope or spirit of my invention.

Ir claim:

1. A golf club handle having a grip portion comprising a region for engagement by a players yupper hand and a region for engagement by a players lower hand, a non-twist bead spiraled about the major portion of the upper hand region but terminating short of the lower hand region to present more effective gripping means for the upper hand than for the lower hand.

2.`r A handle for a right hand golf club comprising a listed shaft, an exposed leather grip stripspirally wrapped thereabout to define a rleft-hand thread and cemented directly thereto,

a bead carried by the strip longitudinally thereof for a portion only of its length and presenting on the handle a similarly spiraled bead, the handle presenting upper and lower hand positions when held in the usual manner and more of said bead occurring in the upper hand position than in the lower hand position whereby more effective gripping is presented for the upper hand than for the lower hand.

3. A handle for a right hand golf club comprising a listed shaft, an exposed leather grip strip spirally wrapped thereabout to dene a left-hand thread and cemented directly thereto, a bead carried by the strip longitudinally thereof for a portion only of its length and presenting on the handle a similarly spiraled bead, the handle presenting upper and lower hand positions when held in the usual manner and more of said bead occurring in the upper hand position than in the lower hand position whereby more effective gripping is presented for the upper hand than for the lower hand, the spacings of the convolutions of the bead being substantially the same as the normal spacing of the fingers ofthe 'upper hand in holding the club in the usual manner.

4. A golf club handle grip comprising a strip of leather having a line of perforations extending therealong and a lace laced through the perforations to extend longitudinally of the strip,

and the strip together with the lace being spirally wrapped about the handle of the club to provide a hand gripping surface with a spiral non-twist bead formed by the lace.

5. A non-skid grip for a golf club handle comprising a strip of leather having a row of perforations therein, and a lace through the perforations to extend longitudinally of the strip, the lace being segment-shaped in cross section and comprising a body of rubber having a fabric braid embedded along the crown thereof, and the crown being outwardly exposed for non-twist engagement by'the hand.

6. A golf club handle having a grip portion comprising an upper hand position and a lower hand position as the handle is normally gripped in swinging the club, a strip of leather spirally wrapped about the handle to provide an exposed gripping surface, a row of perforations along the strip, a lace laced through the perforations to provide a non-twist spiral bead, the lace traversing the upper position to av greater extent than the lower hand position to provide a more effective and manually sensible gripping for the upper hand than for the lower hand.

7. A golf club handle having a grip portion comprising an upper hand position and a lower hand position as the handle is normally gripped in swinging the club, a strip of leather spirally wrapped about the handle to provide an exposed gripping surface, a row of perforations along the strip, a lace laced through the perforations to provide a non-twist spiral bead, the lace having an exposed fabric portion, the lace traversing the upper hand position to a greater extent than the lower hand position to provide a more effective and manually sensible gripping for the upper hand than for the lower hand.

8. A golf club handle comprising a leather grip strip spirally wrapped thereupon, a row of perforations extending along the strip, a lace laced through the perforations and longitudinally of the strip to provide a non-twist bead, the lace alternately overlying and underlying the interperforation portions of the strip, the lace being inwardly notched to receive the portions of the strip which the lace underlies.

9. A golf club handle having a grip portion comprising an upper hand position and a lower hand position as the handle is normally gripped in swinging the club, a leather strip spirally wrapped about the handle to provide the gripping surface thereof, perforations extending along the strip for both hand positions, a lace laced through the perforations at the upper hand position only and extending along the strip to provide a spiral bead at the upper hand position only.

10. A golf club handle comprising a leather strip spirally wrapped thereon to provide a gripping surface, and non-twist means for the grip comprising a lace of lesser width than the leather strip and laced through perforations in the strip longitudinally thereof to describe a spiral upon the handle, the lace being of composite rubber and cotton bre or the like composition in which some of the fibres are exposed to the hand.

ELVER B. LAMKIN. 

